OSHA Safety Help
Founded more than 50 years ago by the OSH Act, OSHA is an American government agency that helps workplaces become safer places for their employees. It has been successful in reducing work fatalities and injuries by enforcing safety laws and providing training, outreach, education and assistance. But the large federal agency is sometimes misunderstood and misinterpreted.
It is important for employers to understand their responsibilities when it comes to compliance with OSHA standards. This includes providing employee training, posting safety posters, maintaining records and conducting inspections, among other things. It is also critical that employees know their rights, such as the right to report any unsafe working conditions and the right to a safe workplace.
The most common workplace violations cited by OSHA safety help include failure to train workers on hazardous chemicals, not posting injury and illness data, not providing personal protective equipment and not allowing workers to inspect their own work areas. Employers should tailor their safety programs to fit the unique needs of their companies. In addition, they should regularly conduct self-inspections with the help of checklists to find, limit or eliminate hazards.
OSHA provides a wealth of resources to its workers and employers, including information on hazard solutions and regulations, workplace safety standards, training materials, publications, safety videos, consultations, and more. The website also offers resources that can be downloaded, such as posters and booklets that describe worker rights and responsibilities.
One of the most useful tools available is the OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page, which provides detailed information on numerous workplace safety topics. The Topics Page provides a helpful way for workers and employers to access the information they need in a format that is easy to read and navigate.
When an OSHA compliance officer (CSHO) arrives at a company, the employees may be nervous and anxious about what will happen. The CSHO’s main goal is to gather information about the workplace and the specific accident or complaint that triggered the visit. The best way to ensure a smooth and productive meeting is to make sure that all the important questions are answered.
A major issue is uncontrolled hazardous energy, which can cause serious injuries or fatalities to employees who service or maintain machinery and equipment. These dangerous energies are found in a variety of workplaces and can be electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, chemical or thermal. Employers must control these hazards by labeling machinery with warnings and posting the proper energy control procedures in all workplace areas.
Other hazards include workers servicing or operating equipment that has not been shut off or tagged out, which can result in electrocution, burns, crushing, cuts and amputations. This hazard can be caused by electrical, mechanical, pneumatic and chemical controls as well as by hoses, valves and tanks.
An effective safety program must address all of these hazards to protect the workers. A good safety program will help reduce accidents and injuries, which can lead to lawsuits. It can also protect businesses from litigation resulting from employee injuries and deaths by showing that the business was doing everything it could to comply with the law.